Earth's faster spin today makes Aug 5 one of the shortest days ever

Scientists have predicted that Earth will spin slightly faster than usual on Tuesday (today), resulting in a day that is around 1.25 to 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24 hours.

The calculation comes from the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) and the US Naval Observatory, according to time-tracking website TimeandDate.com.

Though the difference is too small to be felt in daily life, it takes 86,400 seconds for the Earth to complete one rotation. Scientists say the shift is part of an ongoing trend of shorter days that has persisted since 2020.

Tuesday will mark the third shortest day of this summer, with similar minor time compressions recorded on July 9 and July 22, according to IERS.

Experts believe the moon’s current position may be contributing to the planet’s accelerated rotation, but the exact cause remains uncertain. “The cause of this acceleration is not explained. Most scientists believe it is something inside the Earth,” said Leonid Zotov, an Earth rotation specialist at Moscow State University.

“Ocean and atmospheric models don’t explain this huge acceleration,” he added.

In July 2020, a day was measured at 1.47 milliseconds shorter than usual, and in June 2022, another broke that record by shaving off 1.59 milliseconds.

While the change is imperceptible to most people, researchers warn that if the trend continues, it could have long-term implications.

A continued acceleration could alter ocean distribution, pushing water towards the equator and raising sea levels enough to threaten low-lying areas, according to analysis cited by the Daily Mail.

Moreover, NASA astronomer Dr Sten Odenwald has warned that if Earth's rotation were to speed up significantly, potentially shortening the day by up to two hours, it could disrupt human biological clocks and trigger more intense weather events, including faster-forming hurricanes.

“This is an unprecedented situation and a big deal,” said Duncan Agnew, geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in an earlier study on the phenomenon.

For now, the fractional difference in Tuesday’s duration poses no immediate concern, but scientists are closely monitoring the trend for signs of more dramatic shifts in the years to come.